The Water Cooler

A Veteran Story - Just 1 of 16 million

Author:  Jamie Watts In the summer of 2011, I was wrapping up a 20-year stint in the granite business, one that we would eventually sell in two years, consequently starting up this venture called H...

Having Character VS Being a Character

By Jamie Watts.    I read a book recently by Ben Bergeron called Chasing Excellence.   It’s a phenomenal breakdown of athletic focus and grit.  A playbook of the mental approach to training and li...

Girls got game, maybe more than the boys.

I can feel the skeptical raised eyebrows already, maybe from men and women alike.  But hear me out.  It’s true....

SO IT BEGINS: COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON #150

With college football, you get both historic and modern rivalries amongst powerhouses, but also David vs Goliath. It’s hard to compete with the big dogs, but not impossible. UCF is a legit program ...

Beer in Sports

 Last month was the 45th Anniversary of ‘Ten Cent Beer Night’ in Cleveland, Indians vs Rangers. 10 cents/beer and you could buy six at a time. 52 cents in 2019 money. Yes, it was ‘3.2’ beer, but th...

PROTEST IN SPORT: LEARNING FROM THE GREATEST

Ali’s mission likely led to the most iconic protest moment in sport history: Tommie Smith and John Carlos raising their black gloved fists during the anthem while accepting their medals at the ’68 ...

DO ATHLETES MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY?

We often lose sight of all the athletes struggling to eke out a living. Those we see are of course the ones pulling in the dough. But they’re such a small percentage of the lot. If you make it to a...

THE SPORTS GODS HATE MY HOMETOWN

On a positive note, the Reds are playing decent after a dreadful start. The Bengals have a new coach and are coming off an admirable draft. UC basketball is likely looking at rebuild with Cronin’s ...

THE DREADED PARTICIPATION TROPHY

Maybe participation trophies for the littlest of kids. As they grow older, I’m pretty confident in saying awards all around will be met with considerable suspicion. We need more appreciation for th...

SPORTS: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY

Sports were a big part of my childhood. I was awful at baseball, mediocre at basketball, and decent at soccer and tennis. I remember well watching both Bengals Super Bowls (sounds crazy saying thos...